Humus depths under cut and uncut northern hardwood forests

Abstract

Harvesting timber on lands devoted primarily to watershed management may alter, for better or worse, many features of a forested watershed. One such feature is forest humus. The beneficial role of forest humus in watershed management is widely recognized. A protective mantle of humus serves to cushion the impact of rain, to impede surface runoff, to restrict soil freezing, to favor infiltration, and to store certain amounts of rainfall.

Citation

Hart, George. 1960. Humus depths under cut and uncut northern hardwood forests. Forest Research Note NE-113. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 1-4